WEBVTT EY TAKETHEIR KIDS TO THE BEACH OR THENEARBY PLAYGROUND?SCOTT: NORTHSHORE REPORTER HEATHALLEN WENT TO THE EXPERTS FORTHE ANSWER.>> I THINK YOU SHOULD DEFINITELYBE CONCERNED. HEATH: JOHN PRICE OPERATES THEINSTA-GATOR RANCH AND HATCHERYJUST OUTSIDE OF COVINGTON.HE KNOWS ALLIGATORS, AND HEKNOWS PEOPLE.>> ALLIGATORS DON'T TYPICALLYATTACK PEOPLE, BUT PEOPLETYPICALLY APPROACH ALLIGATORSAND THAT'S A BAD THING TO DO.STAY AWAY FROM THEM AND YOUSHOULD BE FINE. >> I COME OUT HERE TWO DAYS AGO,THERE IS A BEACH.AND THEN THE DAY AFTER I COMEOUT HERE THE FIRST SUNBATHER I, SEE IS ABOUT A FOUR FOOTGATOR. HEATH: MIKE COSCINO'S PHONE PICGOT A LOT OF PLAY ON SOCIALMEDIA, A GATOR ON MANDEVILLE'SBRAND NEW BEACH, RIGHT BY THEPLAYGROUND, JUST DIDN'T SOUNDGOOD AT ALL.BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS.>> THERE'S ALLIGATORS IN EVERYWATER BODY IN SOUTHEASTLOUISIANA. I DON'T MEAN TO SCARE ANYBODYABOUT THAT, BUT THEY'RE THERE.THEY'RE AFRAID OF YOU. >> THIS IS ALLIGATOR COUNTRY.I'M USED TO SEEING ALLIGATORS. HEATH: BEULAH KELLEY ENJOYS THEMANDEVILLE LAKEFRONT PLAYGROUNDALMOST EVERY AFTERNOON.FOR HER, IT'S A MATTER OF COMMONSENSE.>> I DON'T THEY SHOULD BEPANICKY.I JUST THINK THAT IF THEY COMETO THE BEACH, ESPECIALLY WITHSMALL CHILDREN, JUST NEED TO BEALERT. >> AS LONG AS THEY ARE WITH ME,IT'S OK.AS LONG AS WE EYE THE AREA FIRSTAND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING ISSAFE, THEN I DON'T REALLY HAVEMANY CONCERNS. >> THIS IS THE HABITAT FOR THEALLIGATORS, SO WE ARE GOING TOSEE THEM HERE FROM TIME TO TIME, JUST LIKE THEY DO ATFOUNTAINEBLEAU STATE PARK. HEATH: LAST JUNE, WARNING SIGNSWENT UP IN THIS SAME AREA,PEOPLE HAD BEEN ILLEGALLYFEEDING THE GATORS.SO THEY KEPT COMING BACK FOR THEFOOD.>> CERTAINLY CAN'T PREDICT WHATA YOUNG CHILD WILL DO AND YOUNGCHILDREN ARE BITE SIZE TOALLIGATORS.AND THEY ARE MORE INCLINED TOEAT BITE SIZE THINGS. HEAT SO A FEW KEYS -- DON'TFEED THE GATORS, SUPERVISE THE

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Longtime Mandeville restaurant owner Mike Coscino walks the Pontchartrain lakefront almost every day. He was surprised when he saw the city install the beach at the east end of Lakeshore Drive.

"I come out here two days ago, there's a beach, and then the day after I come out here (and) the first sunbather I see, about a 4-foot gator," Coscino said.

He took a picture with his phone which quickly created a social media stir. The idea of an alligator on the beach adjacent to the popular kid's playground was disturbing to many. Alligator experts, however, said it is not unusual at all.

"There's alligators in every water body in southeast Louisiana," said John Price, the owner of the Insta-Gator Ranch and Hatchery on the outskirts of Covington. "If you like to water ski, you've got alligators below your feet. I don't mean to scare anybody about that, but they're there. They're afraid of you."

One local agreed people need to be vigilant.

"This is alligator country. I'm used to seeing alligators, maybe not close to the beach area, but if there's one that comes to the beach area, that means we need to watch more closely," Beulah Kelley said.

Kelley visits the park virtually every day with a group of young people in her care. She said visitors should use a combination of common sense and vigilance.

"I don't think they should be panicky. I just think that if they come to beach especially with small children, (they) just need to be alert," Kelley said.

Jessica Commander is excited about the beach and said her kids will enjoy it.

"As long as they are with me, it's OK. As long as we eye the area first and make sure everything is safe, then I don't really have too many concerns," Commander said.

Alligators sightings are not uncommon along the lakefront. Mandeville Mayor Donald Villere sees the beach as an attraction for residents of the city and the surrounding area.

"This is the habitat for the alligators, so we are going to see them here from time to time just like they do at (nearby) Fountainebleau State Park," Villere said.

Last June, alligator warning signs went up in the same area. People had been illegally feeding the alligators, so they kept returning to the area for the food. Price said that can pose a real danger.

"(You) certainly can't predict what a young child will do and young children are bite-sized to alligators, and they are more inclined to eat bite-sized things," Price said.

Experts said there are common sense keys to safety, including not feeding the alligators and keeping a close eye on children.

The ribbon cutting for the new Mandeville beach is set for 9 a.m. at the site located at the east end of Lakeshore Drive. The first 100 kids will get a bucket and shovel to officially open the beach.

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